


For Who Could Ever Learn to Love a Beast?

by minervamouze



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, F/M, There is officially a dicking in this story read at your own risk, i've never proofread anything, no one asked for it but someone should have
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-11-14 13:36:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18053504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minervamouze/pseuds/minervamouze
Summary: “You flaunt your emotions when others have so little. You boast your love for others, when they can’t feel a thing. Now...now you have become a beast, just like me.” Lea swallows thickly, lowering himself to the ground.“I...I’m sorry.” His knees are pulled to his chest, accepting his fate. He feels like he’s about to cry, but no tears form. He’s empty. As many times as he says this to himself, it never feels right.“Your crimes are heinous. To repent, you will become a nobody. A nobody with the name of Axel, a heartless name for such a monster. You will never love again, nor be loved in return. For who could ever learn to love a beast?” His words echo in Axel’s head, bouncing off the walls of stillness.





	1. Prologue

“Don’t fall!” Lea shouted after his blue haired friend, who was walking dangerously close to the edge of the aqueduct. Isa rolled his eyes at Lea- he wasn’t a _child_ , he knew how to take care of himself. It was a cloudy day in Radiant Garden, the air had a bit of a bite to it- one of the first chilly days since summer. It was perfect weather for two adventurous teenagers to try sneaking around in areas citizens weren’t allowed to sneak around in.

Both boys were dressed warmly today, Lea’s mom managing to force a jacket on her grumbling son that seemed to need his shoulders exposed at every moment of every day. His scarf was placed over his coat so at least _some_ of his fashion sense could come through. Isa, for his part, was always dressed warmly. He ran cold easily, so he would always wear his tracksuit, anyway.

The two were wandering on the edges of the aqueduct today, trying to find out if there was any way at all to get into the castle from here. That was their life mission for the last few years- finding a way in. “I’m not going to f-” as the words left Isa’s mouth, his foot slipped on water that had splashed out and he began to tumble backwards, heading for the duct. His hands flew out to try to save himself and Lea managed to grab hold of his wrist tightly, pulling him back up into a standing position.

“What was that?”

“...Shut up,” Isa grumbled, crossing his arms and walking further along the path. Lea snickered, following closely behind, bouncing with his steps.

“You owe me your life, now!” the fiery redhead teased, sticking his tongue out. Isa turned, sticking his tongue out as well. They’d always been best friends. In fact, they were each other’s only friend for as long as they could remember. They saw each other every day, picked their classes to be with each other, and Isa practically lived at Lea’s house with him. They needed each other. Lea had _issues_ with not feeling important that Isa helped curb, and Lea offered Isa a much needed escape from his home life. They were all the other needed. “Come on, I think we’re on to something, here.”

“Fine,” Isa rolled his eyes, following behind Lea as he walked under an awning, entering what appeared to be the end of the aqueduct. To their right side, something that resembled stairs led lower into the building.

“Umm, maybe we should-” Lea gulped, suddenly unsure on if they should go any further.

“You big baby,” Isa shot, already hopping down the first step. Lea swallowed before following his friend. If Isa was willing to do it, Lea would too. Loud metal clunking echoed on the cave-like walls as the teenagers clambered down further into the depths. They climbed over pipes and stairs until finally reaching an atrium like room. Isa arrived at the bottom first but then skidded to a stop.

“What gives?” Lea asked, eyebrows furrowed as he stood next to his friend, confused why he held his hand out until he noticed they were no longer alone. A hooded creature stood in the middle of the circular room ominously. “Ew,” Lea whispered before he could stop himself. The figure appeared haggard, hunched over and like he could collapse at any moment.

“Shut up,” Isa hissed. “Are you alright?” he called out instead, addressing the figure. It turned, facing the two boys. Even though it was dead in front of them, they couldn’t make out a face beneath the hood. A chill ran up Lea’s spine.

“Let’s go,” he quietly begged.

“No, are you okay, sir?” Isa called out again.

“You...should not care for a creature like me…” a raspy voice bellowed, surprisingly loud for his strange appearance. Isa’s brows furrowed, stepping forward slightly, despite Lea’s death grip on his jacket.

“What do you mean?”

“I...have no heart...I cannot feel….I am not….anything…”

“You’re stupid,” Lea shot out, Isa unable to stop him. “Everyone has a heart. You should get home, someone must be worried about you. Do you need help?

“You...care...for a spec such as myself?”

“Listen, I don’t know about caring about you, but I want you to be safe, got it memorized?” The man reached up, his gloved hands pulling at the hood around his face. It fell backwards, causing long silver hair to cascade from its hold. A handsome man smirked underneath it, his posture instantly improving.

“Your hearts are far too strong for this world.” His hands fell back to his sides, red lights starting to shimmer from his palms.

“Run,” Isa breathed, his eyes going wide.

“What?” Lea asked, panic setting in as he looked at his friend.

“Get out of here!” Isa hissed, shoving Lea back. “Go!”

“I-I’m not going anywhere!” The man was walking forward now, slowly. Red lasers shone from his hands as he paced, searing the ground underneath them.

“LEA! GO!” It was clear who the attacker was aimed for and Isa wasn’t letting it happen. Lea, however, was frozen to the spot- taken aback and unwilling to believe what was happening.

“I-Isa, I-” Lea was cut off while tears prickled the corner of his eyes, Isa jumping in front of his form just as the attacker slashed his beams in a double downward slice and taking the hit. His face instantly split open, blood pouring from the wounds as he crumpled to the ground. “ISA!”

Lea screamed, falling backwards onto the hard metal pipes. No. No. _No._ This couldn’t be happening. Wearily, Isa pulled himself up onto his hands, using all his strength to turn around. Lea screamed at the sight of his friend, face all but unrecognizable from all the blood coating it. “Run...away…! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO!” Isa shouts before the laser stabs into him from behind. Lea can _hear_ his friend dying. He can hear Isa’s last breath- see the moment all light leaves his eyes. Tears fall over the edge of his eyes openly, blurring his vision. There was never a chance for escape for him. Not after he lost everything. Not while his best friend’s corpse lays two feet away from him. Luckily, the laser stabbed him directly through the heart, and he only felt the searing hot pain for a brief moment before his life gave out.

\---

Lea’s eyes flew open- something he never expected to happen again. He readied himself for the instant panic attack, the flashback of memories ready to spill tears out again- but it never came. Nothing did. His chest felt completely empty. Hollow. He looked dead forward but pulled his hands up, practically clawing at his chest until he started bleeding. He couldn’t feel a heartbeat. Where was his pulse? His fingernails were rust colored now, skin piled underneath as he willed his chest to _ka-tump_ again. For his neck to flush red again, for any kind of emotion to flood his face again.

It doesn’t. And it won’t no matter how hard he tries. “What even happened?” he mutters to himself. “I...sa…” He stands from where he had awoken, wandering a few steps forward. He’s...in a cell. That much he knows. There’s a solid metal door with a tiny window, bars making it unescapable. His footsteps echo terribly in the metal cell as he brings himself to the bars, standing on his tiptoes to see out. Within seconds, he sees the silver haired man again. He recoils out of habit- but the actual fear never comes. He’s never felt...nothing before. Not fear, not anger, nothing at all. “What did you do to me?”

“I took your heart.”

“Why?!”

“You flaunt your emotions when others have so little. You boast your love for others, when they can’t feel a thing. Now...now you have become a **beast,** just like me.” Lea swallows thickly, lowering himself to the ground.

“I...I’m sorry.” His knees are pulled to his chest, accepting his fate. He feels like he’s about to cry, but no tears form. He’s empty. As many times as he says this to himself, it never feels right.

“Your crimes are heinous. To repent, you will become a nobody. A nobody with the name of Axel, a heartless name for such a monster. You will never love again, nor be loved in return. **_For who could ever learn to love a beast?_ **” His words echo in Axel’s head, bouncing off the walls of stillness.

“Isa…”

“The boy you once knew is gone forever. His crime, greater than yours, deserves a punishment as fitting. You will suffer alone.” Those were the last words Axel heard and were quickly followed by the echoing of footprints down a hall. He was alone...and always would be.

\---

_10 years later_

\---

You awoke in the morning to your alarm blaring against your eardrums. Your hand shifted every which way for your phone, willing it internally to just _shut the fuck up_ for five more minutes. Once your fingers curl around the offending noise machine, you’re all but slapping the screen, fighting desperately to find the ‘snooze’ button. Something you did must have worked, because the noise finally cut off. You sighed in pleasure, resnuggling down into your pillow.

In what felt like one blink, the noise pounded into your ears again. You groaned, rolling over. “I surrender!” you admitted, picking the phone back up and sliding up on the screen until the alarm disappeared. Seven-thirty-five in the morning. Great. Monday’s shouldn’t have to be this disgusting. You sat up in bed, stretching your limbs out as best as possible. Well, time to go back to hell. You stand up, wandering into your bathroom.

An hour later and you were ready for work. You were dressed in business casual attire, your hair slicked back into a neat ponytail. It wasn’t the cutest outfit in the world, but when you worked for a transcription company, you truly didn’t worry about being cute most days. _Especially_ not on Monday. You grab your reusable coffee cup already filled with cold brew and run out the door, locking it behind you quickly. It’s a windy day outside today and you have to pull your coat closer to you to keep it blowing all over creation. You’d left it purposefully unbuttoned for the fashion of it all- but that was coming back to nip you in the bud. “Come on, Monday. You don’t have to be like this.”

The good thing about living in the city was you never had to hop on a train to get to work- or anywhere, really. It was a quick brisk walk through the tunnels that ran underneath the city’s hub that connected you to main square. A few minutes-and half your coffee gone-later and you were staring up at the building you’d worked at for the last few years. The air around you is filled with the scents of breakfast. Pancakes, maple syrup, sausage, and toast wafts over to you from across the street and you glance longingly at the doors to the new bistro that had opened and become a practically overnight hit. One day you’d skip work and go over there and eat till your heart's content, but not today. Today you had to be clocked in at nine o’clock sharp.

Your hand reached out to pull the door open firmly, feeling a rush of warm air overtake you momentarily. You smiled as you stepped inside, sliding your jacket from either shoulder and hanging it on the coat rack next to the door. “Good morning, typing squad,” your voice called out, alerting your coworkers that you’d arrived. You were greeted with various waves, calls, and smiles as you walked to your desk.

“Mornin’,” your neighbor spoke as you sat, coffee cup placed directly beside your mouse.

“Good morning, Mark,” you greet, offering a soft smile. “What’s on the docket for today?” you ask, cracking your fingers before booting up your computer. Before Mark has a chance to reply, a butt is seated on your desk. It takes all your strength to not sigh and roll your eyes, but you somehow are able to shake the desire. “Good morning, Seifer,” you greet with a slightly more annoyed tone.

“(y/n). Word has it boss has a tough assignment for one of us.”

“Ew, which one of us?” you question, face screwing up.

“Who knows?” Seifer turns to smirk down at you. “You look good today.”

“Thank you?”

“When are you finally gonna give up and let me take you on that date?”

“Not today, Seif,” you laugh, finally rolling your eyes as you pat his leg with the back of your hand. “Come on, get off. We’re gonna get in trouble.”

“Make me.”

“Good morning, workers.” Setzer’s voice rang through the air, causing Seifer to hop right off your desk. You grinned a little, spinning around in your chair. All the employees directed their attention towards your boss. “We’re playing a somewhat fun game this morning.” He thrust his fist forward, strands of uncooked spaghetti clenched in it. “Everyone, gather around and pick one.” Oh, this sounded like something you didn’t wanna be involved in. Your coworkers all seemed to have the same idea, as everyone raced forward to have first pick. You weren’t first, weren’t last, but...you were certainly the least lucky.

When your straw came up short, you glanced around hoping to find someone- _anyone_ \- with a shorter strand...but it never came. You groaned audibly when Setzer opened his fist and nothing else was there. “Well, (y/f/n), looks like you’re our lucky winner! You’re...uh, gonna make lots of money!”

“Setzer, _why?_ What do I have to do?” you groaned again, rubbing your forehead. Missions like this where he wouldn’t even _tell you_ what the job was were miserable.

“We have our first, um, _exotic_ client. They’re requesting someone come to-er-stay with them and catalogue their extensive research. They have quite a few books filled with handwriting that needs to be transferred to digital.”

“Stay with them?”

“Honestly,” Setzer went on, ignoring your outburst, “I’m glad it’s you, (y/n), you have the fastest fingers in this whole company.”

“Don’t say that,” you begged. After taking a moment to suck in a deep breath, you let it all out in a sigh.

“Fine. What do you mean by exotic?”

“You’ll get paid travel time.”

_“To where?”_

“...The World That Never Was. The owner of the castle there employees a handful of people who live within its walls. He has all the makings of a private luxurious hotel and you’ll be compensated handsomely.” Did you need this job? ….Yes, yes you did.

“When do they need me there by?” Setzer just smiled at you, a nervous sweat forming on his forehead.

“Tomorrow?”

“I’m not doing any kind of icky jobs for the next year, you got it?” you grumble, not bothering to wait for an answer before stomping back to your desk and sitting down once more, practically fuming. Moments later, Seifer rolled his chair over to you, a sympathetic look on his face.

“That sucks. Haven’t you heard about people who go there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone that goes there turns into a robot. No one can last in that world- it’s like no one has a heart. I bet they eat people.” Chills ran up your spine despite the fact you knew it was just some stupid myth.

“Buzz off, Seifer. Quit trying to scare me,” you mumbled, fingers attaching themselves to your keyboard. You had a lot to get done today if you were going to be gone for some time. You knew you should’ve gone to the bistro this morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....  
> :)  
> I'm being self indulgent while also supplying the content this fandom needs/deserves  
> This probably won't be the longest series- the chapters are probably gonna be in like, the 10's.  
> But this? could and should be my legacy.  
> Big thank you to Gigi for helping me out with so many hc's!!!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Minnie


	2. First Day

You stared at the beastly castle before you while breathing through your mouth. That thing was...huge. Utterly huge. How many people did he say worked there? Twelve in total? That seemed like it was vastly off. Honestly, who even lived in a castle anymore? You stared at the long walkway to get to the front gates while clutching your suitcase tightly, a duffle bag slung over the opposing shoulder. A chill in the air prickled goosebumps up and down your exposed arms. While it had been warm in Twilight Town, it seemed The World That Never Was was in a permanent state of nighttime, and warmth was scarce.

Maybe...maybe it wasn’t too late to go home. No, yeah, it definitely was. You took a deep breath and stepped onto the see through platform carefully, making sure it wouldn’t give way before putting your entire weight onto it. It was a long and very visible walk to the gates and there weren’t exactly guardrails- making it rather dangerous as well. You were really glad you’d worn your heels today, that definitely made things easier on you.

Once you’d stepped safely onto the main platform the castle...floated(?) on, it was a much simpler walk up to the front door. Two statues stood on either side of the main entrance, each identical to the other. It was a humanoid figure with a large face and a zipper for a mouth, clothed entirely in white. “Now what?” you asked to no one in particular. It wasn’t like there was a doorbell. As if on queue- after you spoke, one of the statues came to life, slinking down from its position and sliding over to you. “HOLY SHIT!” you yelled, clearly startled by the terrifying creature.

“I will take you where you need to go.” You clutched the sides of your head, duffle bag falling to your elbow. Where did that come from? You hadn’t heard the creature say anything it’s mouth hadn’t opened, so why did the words ring true in your head? What was happening here? Unwilling to wait for you, the white...thing began to slink down the hall, each step more terrifying than the last. Against your better judgement you moved to follow it, sucking in a deep breath along the way.

The walk through the castle was very lonely. Not one other soul was seen as you made your way through what seemed like endless empty room after empty room. Not only that- but it was _loud._ The wheels on your suitcase echoed off every wall, giving you a minor headache. It wasn’t until you were nearing the top of the castle that you saw the first human that resided there. He was a tall man with long blue hair and an unfortunate reverse-mullet. He was walking down as you went up.

You gave him a kind smile in passing with a gentle “hello” to show you weren’t a cold soulless being. Apparently he didn’t get the memo- seeing as he gave you the coldest, most expressionless glare, didn’t say a word, and continued walking right on by. Your breath had caught when he had turned his face to yours dead on. He was absolutely breathtaking with the most interesting scar adorning the center. How did something like that even appear? You felt a little chillier as you continued following your host.

“We have arrived,” the voice in your head spoke again. Your hand flew to your ear again, wincing at the way your headache throbbed.

“Thank...you?” you offered, not wanting to be rude to...it. It seemed to understand, standing tall to give a formal bow before opening the door and slinking inside, resuming its statuesque posture. You pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside the circular room. A desk sat inside the center of the area, bookshelves lining the walls rather impressively considering it's odd shape. You wondered how anyone managed to decorate a circle so easily as you rolled yourself inside, smiling widely. “Hi, I’m (y/n) (y/l/n) from Twilight Transcriptors! I believe I’m looking for a...Xemnas?” you greeted, customer service voice activated. The man seated at the desk lifted his head, silver hair falling to either side of his well structured face. He wore a black leather cloak with silver chains adorning the center. His hands were gloved as he wrote in a large notebook, his fingers stilling when you made your presence known.

“Ah, yes,” he began, his deep voice catching you off guard for a moment. “Fetch number eight,” he spoke to the creature that had guided you here. Just like that, it was off again. “These are our assistants, nicknamed ‘dusks’. They help us here,” he explained, catching sight of your bewildered expression.

“Oh! How very interesting,” you smiled, still lost.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xemnas.” Xemnas walked forward to you, his stroll as slow as his words. You waited awkwardly before extending a hand out for you to shake. You gripped it in your own and tried not to wince too hard at just how firm of a grip he had. Xemnas was imposing to say the least. He was tall, dark, and handsome all at once. “I will have one of my...employees...show you around. Your workspace and where you will be staying will be the main highlights. I want to touch base with you, (y/n).”

“Yes, sir?”

“I reached so far away from my world and into yours to hire your company for good reason. For the price we pay, I expect confidentiality to be a high priority of yours.” Just what kind of show was this guy running?

“Of course, Mr. Xemnas. Confidentiality is the name of our game. I suspect we would have been out of business a long time ago if it weren’t,” you teased, progressively feeling more awkward.

“..Yes, I suppose so. The work you will be transcribing are countless amounts of precious research on the human heart and how the emotions work. They have all been handwritten and would be irreplaceable if they were to be destroyed. I will assume you are very good at your job and that will not happen, but it never hurts to ask- Please, be very careful with our beloved research.” You gave him a genuine smile, standing a little prouder.

“I promise- I will put all my love and attention into your files and make sure none go awry. You’re safe with me here,” you promised. As long as you’d worked for the company, you’d never had a complaint. It was one of your favorite bragging points, actually.

“Yes, all your love…” Before things could get any more awkward, footsteps could be heard approaching the room you stood in. You craned your neck to face the door, waiting for the new visitor. The dusk walked in first, returning to it’s solitary position again. You had to admit, it looked very helpful. A few moments later, another figure entered the room. And this one? Your breath caught in your throat.

He was tall- much taller than you, at least, with flaming red hair that shot back in every direction in soft spikes that bounced as he walked. His angular face was adorned with purple marks underneath his eyes. You tried your best not to stare and remain professional, but, was he wearing makeup? He strolled into the room in the same outfit as Xemnas, his arms crossed. He didn’t even bother glancing your way when he entered. “Ah, Axel.”

“You rang?” the man named Axel drawled, clearly very bored with the situation.

“This is our guest, (y/n). I’m sure Saix told you that you’ll be her guide.”

“How could I forget?”

“Then I’ll leave you to it. (y/n), you may leave your bags here. The dusks will bring them to your room. I look forward to working with you,” Xemnas spoke, sinking back down in his chair.

“Thank you, I as well,” you responded, placing your bags in a neat pile.

“Come on,” Axel called out, already half out the door.

“Oh!” You skurried after him, the click of your heels echoing loudly across the floor. “Thank you for showing me around! It’s nice to meet you, my name is-”

“(y/n),” Axel cut you off, not bothering to look over his shoulder. “I’ve got it memorized. I’m A-”

“Axel,” you cut him off, a small smirk on your lips. At that, his head did turn, studying you with an eyebrow raised. Did he wax his tails off? “Got it memorized,” you finalized, finally reaching a comfortable place behind him.

“Yeah, well, commit it to memory, alright? I hope you’ve got a good one, there’s a lot to look at here.” You nodded, falling into a comfortable pace behind him.

“There’s twelve employees here, right?” Axel snorted, crossing his arms as he walked.

“There’s eleven of us and then there’s Xemnas. If you wanna call us employees of his that’s your prerogative.”

“And...he calls you by numbers?” You always found a good way to bond with employees was trashing the boss a little bit. Built a bit of camaraderie between you and the ones you’d be spending the most amount of time with.

“Yep. So, this is a room, and there’s another one over there,” Axel said with a bored voice, waving his hand in either direction. Oh. He really hated his job, huh?

“Any idea what those rooms are for?” you asked, not really willing to put up with this at nine in the morning after you’d already had a long travel.

“I’m sure you can figure that out, _ma’am_.” This was gonna be oodles of fun!

“Ooookay,” you whistled lowly, shaking your head. The tour continued in a similar fashion, you growing more hot headed by the moment. “So do you know where these records are being kept? Or should I find a different tour guide? Not that I’m not enjoying this,” you sassed, stopping in your tracks.

“Well, well, well,” Axel smirked, turning to look at you, a playful expression. “So she has a little bite. If you’d be _so kind_ as to continue following me, we’re almost there.” He began walking again and, with an almost growl, you followed him begrudgingly. Passing through a large arch you came to a room with an ornate door on either side. Axel finally came to a stop, turning and holding his hand out to the right. “This is your new workspace. _Not_ the door on the left.”

“Why specifically not the left wing?” you asked, curiosity getting the better of you as you stared at the offending door.

“It leads down to the lab. Trust me...you don’t wanna go down there.” The bite was taken from his voice, turning instead to a genuine well-wished warning. What kind of awful evil was hiding down there?

“...Alright, the right wing it is, then. Mind if I look inside?”

“Go nuts.” Great. You gave him a small smile before wandering to the door, reaching up and grabbing hold of the knob before giving it a twist and pulling forward. It took a little elbow grease, but the door did swing out towards you, revealing the room inside. It was relatively large, but not ginormous. Three bookshelves stood floor to ceiling against the back center, lined with books.

“Hey, do you know which ones they want me to transcript?” you asked over your shoulder, a cold shiver going up your arm when you saw him start to smirk. Oh God, no.

“All of them, little lady.” **_Fuck._ **

“ALL?” you asked, incredulous. “And he wants it done in two weeks?”

“Seems like you’d better get started, then.”

“How can so much research on the heart even exist?” Axel’s eyes seemed to get lighter, expression colder.

“Lot’s of practice. This job ain’t for a weakling, got it memorized? There’s a lot you’re going to see in there that you might not like. If you’re not ready to stomach that, I can bring you right back to Xemnas and you should quit, now.” Was...was that a threat or a warning.

“Listen, Mr. Axel,” you chose to use a formal wording with him to remind him that this is a _professional_ environment you were building, not one where he could verbally toss you around because you were a visitor in his domain, “I’m damn well capable of doing my job.” You stepped closer to him, arms crossed firmly. “There is no reason I will be going back on my commitment, no matter how bad you’d like to see that. In fact, if you’d show me to my room, I can get started on it right now.”

Oh, you had fire to you. He _liked_ that. It was different from the usual tension this shit show held- this one had _heart_ behind it. It might be fun to tease you a little, see how a _heart_ would react- something he hadn’t experienced in so many years.

“Yes, ma’am,” Axel spoke, no sense of apology or fear in his voice like you’d hoped. You stepped back, tugging your blazer into place for good measure.

“Thank you,” you responded, determined to keep composure level. Honestly? Interactions like this made you want to outright _cry._ You hated confrontation more than anything but being a woman in the workplace forced you to experience it, anyway. It was better to stand up for yourself than to get pushed around like a rag doll. Once Axel began walking again, you followed at his side, not allowing yourself to follow him.

He made his way up a large staircase and down a long hallway. As you walked, you glanced around at your surroundings. Several indentions decorated the hall in perfect symmetry, each one housing a door. Some of the doors, you noticed, were different. With...metal bars on miniature windows? An involuntary chill ran down your back, goosebumps forming on your arms once more.

The hall seemed to stretch forever with minor changes to the pristine white setting. Except of course, for the footprints decorating the ceiling. Wait, what? You glanced up, squinting to make sure you were seeing things right. Yeah, those were _definitely_ boot prints on the ceiling. What the fuck? Were those genuine decorations or was some freak out here walking on the fucking ceiling? You tore your eyes away, not wanting to bring attention to the fact you were seriously starting to question everyone who worked here’s sanity as well as your own for not accepting Axel’s offer to quit.

At last, Axel stopped in front of an indention. “Home sweet prison,” he announced. You chuckled carefully at his joke for a moment before trailing off awkwardly when he didn’t follow suit. Instead, he walked directly into the room adjoined to the hall, throwing the door open without a second thought. You followed after him, entering the room you were going to be staying in.

As you could’ve guessed, it was pure white. A bed with an ornate carved headboard sat in the center of the room, a window staring to the nights sky was on the far side of the room, and a full length mirror sat next to an en suite bathroom. At least you’d have privacy when it came to showering. “This is nice,” you spoke softly, noticing that your items had already been relocated to the corner of your room. Careful footsteps led you to the window as you gazed into the space above.

You opened the glass pane, sliding it upwards and locking it into place while a cool breeze ran across your frame. You smiled at the view- night time was your absolute favorite, anyway. Easier to see the stars above. “What a beautiful view of the stars,” you completed, almost transfixed in their beauty. You didn’t see the stars very often in Twilight Town, you’d only seen them while on vacation, through a telescope, or in pictures. It was very relaxing to see them without visual aid.

“It gets boring after a certain amount of time, got it memorized?” You rolled your eyes when he couldn’t see.

“Yes, very memorized. Thank you for showing me to my room.”

“Oh, the pleasure was all mine, little lady.” His sarcasm was gonna get him punched. Had anyone ever punched this asshole before? Well, you weren’t asking. “You can meet up with Saix in the library in thirty minutes. Don’t be late- he’s got a thing for punctuality. He’ll tell you where to get started.”

“Great!” you expressed, walking to get your laptop and charging equipment from your bag.

“Alright, adios.” And like that, he turned and left, just as aloof and uncaring as when he’d entered. Once you heard the door close, you let out a deep breath and felt your posture slacken. That was...a lot. And your workload? Also a lot. If you’d gotten the straw you wanted and had been aiming for? Yeah, then Marie would’ve been the one to go. That lucky little sneak.

You sat on the bed provided for a moment, judging how comfortable it could be. Luckily, the answer was very. You were planning on taking a small nap when you arrived after your long travel hours, but with all the works waiting to be transferred, it didn’t look like that’d be happening any time soon. You rubbed the back of your neck looking to the ground. Well, maybe a quick fifteen minute catnap wouldn’t be the worst thing. You kicked your heels off, pulling yourself up onto the bed completely and asking Siri to set an alarm for exactly fifteen minutes from right then. After all, you deserved this rest. Hell was waiting for you soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What songs would you put in an axel batb au playlist? I'll start: needy by ariana grande


	3. Grin and Wear It

Melodic bells filled the stark white room and bounced off the walls, echoing back into your ears a second time. To anyone else, the sound would be almost relaxing. Of course, to you, it was like nails on a chalkboard. You jolted awake, slamming your hand over your phone’s touch screen until all noise stopped. Well, it certainly had been about fifteen minutes. Maybe you could get a good night’s sleep tonight and actually be prepared to get some major work in in the morning. You weren’t sure what this Saix guy was expecting from you on such few hours of sleep, but you hoped he wouldn’t be too disappointed when you were only able to fill out a few pages.

After gently patting the sleep from your eyes-careful not to disrupt your makeup-you stood up and straightened out your clothes. Right. You cracked your neck quickly before wandering outside your room, pulling the door shut behind you. It wasn’t hard to remember the way back to the library from there, especially seeing as where you had seen footprints on the ceiling before now had two dusks on a ladder scrubbing at them diligently. You decided you didn’t wanna find out why they were there in the first place and kept your head down as you walked past.

\---

The library door swung open easily for you this time, revealing the grandeur of it once more. A dusk slinked past you, whispering “I will call for his arrival” in your mind as it left. You had to hand it to them, these little guys seemed to be pretty helpful. Alone once more, you wandered over to the back of the room, running your hands over all the large notebooks, filled with what you assumed to be handwritten notes. It was admittedly impressive- to have gathered this much research and catalog it carefully by hand.

At least it would be easy to transcribe. Handwriting was usually larger than written word, meaning that although it looked like the work was never ending, it wouldn’t take nearly as long as retyping already computerized documents. While you waited, you decided to set up your laptop and external hard drive your company had supplied for the organization on the ornate hand carved desk in the center of the room. Once everything was open, you propped up a book stand to ease your eyes. There, perfect!

Just as you had finished setting up, the door opened once more and in walked none other than the blue haired man with the large scar you’d seen earlier. Oh, cool, you loved one sided conversations. Putting on your best customer service smile you stepped forward, hand extended. “Hi, Saix, correct? I’m-”

“That’s a bit informal don’t you think?” He spoke flatly, walking directly past you. Your hand fell back to your side a moment later, the instinctive embarrassment pulling a flush to color the tops of your cheeks and tips of your ears.

“Oh...sorry, sir?” Your voice lifted at the end of the word, as if testing out. When you didn’t get an immediate response, you pressed your mouth into a flat line and raised your eyebrows, following him over to where he stood at the first bookshelf. “Like I was saying, my name is-”

“I don’t need to know that, we won’t be interacting much.” You just _had_ to pick the shortest stick, huh? Speaking of sticks, did everyone at this damned organization just have one shoved up their- “You’ll be cataloging every item in this library. We’re compensating you well so we assume you’ll have confidentiality.” You nodded, trying your best to not let the passive aggressiveness flow through you.

“As I was telling Mr. Xemnas, _sir,_ I’m quite competent at my job, or else I assume I’d have lost it a long time ago.” You looked towards the notebooks. “Any particular collections you’d like anything sifted into?”

“By author, actually. You’ll begin with some labeled under Xehanort, some as Ansem, some from Xemnas himself, and a few from other scattered members of our organization.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you, sir.” You cracked your neck and began to reach up for the first volume, ready to start the task at hand, when suddenly his gloved hand shot around your wrist, gripping it tightly.

“The content of these findings ar-“

“Not for the faint of heart, I got the memo,” you snapped, pulling your wrist free almost immediately. You were really sick and tired of how these men were telling you how to do your job. Saix smirked, returning his hand to a resting position at his side.

“Very well, then. Good luck.” And with that, he was off- leaving with a swirl of his cloak as he turned towards the door. The door finally fell shut once more and you let out a very deep breath you had been holding in. After a moment of rubbing your forehead, you reached forward to grab the book once more, finally able to get started on the impossible task.

—-

Well, these contents were….certainly not for the faint of heart. You’d expected that. But, you truthfully weren’t expecting to feel so queasy about the situation. The first two notebooks weren’t bad, but the third one had tiptoed into...weird territory. You decided to call it a night when you finished the third book and were headed back to your room to hopefully sleep your worries away.

You’re flexing your fingers, giving the muscles a little workout to prepare them for rest when you come across a very familiar area of the white hallway, one you’ve become quite acquainted with. A skyward glance is cast while you search for the footprints that decorated the ceiling again, but they were missing. No one must have...scampered across after the dusks had cleaned earlier.

“You looking for something, tiger?” Your neck almost snapped from the speed at which you spun around to inspect the source of the voice that had just floated into your ears. How he’d appeared there was beyond you- everything in this hall echoed and you hadn’t heard this very tall man come up behind you at all. Your hand slammed over your heart as you tried to calm its racing.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” you breathed out, finally taking a good look at the man who was now smirking at you. He was wearing the standard black uniform still, clearly just getting done for the day. A black eyepatch adorned his scarred face- making you wonder just how bad of a fight he’d been in to sustain that injury. His long salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail and he wore the cockiest expression you might have ever seen.

“Sorry, doll, wasn’t the intention, trust me.” He stepped closer to you before crossing his arms and leaning back against a wall- very ‘cool-guy’ style. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Your hand fell from your heart, falling into an awkward position behind your back. What did people do with hands, anyway? They had no place in a resting position.

“I’m (y/n), I was hired on to do some transcribing for you all. And you are?” you asked, raising one of your eyebrows to show you were listening closely.

“Xigbar. I’m second in command around here. Funny how I didn’t know we were keeping such a pretty little thing locked up in here, though.” You chuckled politely, the slightest hint of color ghosting over your cheekbones.

“Yeah, well, none of your coworkers seem to be thrilled by my presence anyway. Seems better for me to not be seen or heard. Have you noticed everyone here seems to have an attitude?” You were probably overstepping boundaries by complaining to the-for lack of better term-assistant manager here, but you were just so tired and honestly? It felt great to have a decent conversation with someone, even if he did imply you were being ‘locked up’ anywhere.

“Yeah, they’re not exactly on the welcome wagon, sweetheart. If I’d known you were coming I could’ve made you feel right at home.” Something about the way he worded that phrase ran a shiver down your spine.

“Oh...thank you, Xigbar?” You questioned his name, unsure if you remembered correctly. His smirk only grew, revealing a few teeth as he looked you over.

“That’s my name.” Well, you weren’t about to stick around for an awkward conversation.

“It was nice meeting you, goodnight!” You began to walk forward again, headed towards your assigned room but grimaced when you heard footsteps following you. Oh, premature goodbyes were so awfully cringey.

“I’ll have to see more of you.” The footsteps suddenly stopped and you tilted your head to see what had halted him.

“Oh!” you started, pausing once more. “Is that your room?” Xigbar was pulling his hair tie out, letting his hair cascade around his face while he shook his locks free from their constricting positions with his other hand.

“Why? You wanna see what the inside looks like?” He’s chuckling and you can’t help but laugh back, whether from desperation for normal human contact or sleep deprivation.

“No, I wanna know how the hell there were footprints above your door earlier,” you teased, crossing your arms playfully. Xigbar’s eye narrowed, his lips curling further upwards.

“Come inside, I’ll show you exactly how.”

“...Maybe another night, ceiling guy.” Something about joking about walking on the ceiling behind closed doors was exhausting you. You shot the man a wink and returned to your long walk.

“Goodnight, princess,” was called behind you and you couldn’t miss the jolt it shot through your body. Okay, so either the guys here were extremely rude or extremely inappropriate. Seemed great! Your rubbed your forehead as you walked, easing the memories of the day out of your mind. At least it would be easy to fall asleep that night.

\---

_Knock, knock, knock_

You spat the toothpaste in your mouth out, furrowing your eyebrows. It was 8:45 in the morning, who was at your door? Did this place have a postal service? You ran the faucet, trying to wash the mint flavor out of your mouth. While swishing between each tooth, the noise came again.

_Knock, knock, knock._

“One moment,” you called, rolling your eyes. Patience would be very nice. After giving yourself a once over in the mirror and adjusting your lipstick shade to cover up that you’d definitely forgotten to brush before applying, you pulled the strap of your shoe over your heel and walked to the door, swinging it open just as a fist was about to make contact with it again. The gloved hand moved forward, not expecting it’s target to be pulled before it could find purchase. You ducked your head to the side, missing the now-punch with ease. “Axel,” you said dryly, expression unreadable. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Axel blinked a couple times, still in a bit of shock.

The redhead pulled his hand back, straightening himself upright. “Oh, you’re awake,” he commented, crossing his arms. Your brows furrowed.

“Yeah, I start working in…” you raised your left wrist and tapped the screen of the watch that adorned it, smiling subtly when you saw a cartoon version of Mickey pointing the time out to you. “About twelve minutes.”

“Glad to see you can be punctual.” Axel wheeled himself around, already on his way out. Your jaw dropped as you stared blankly forward before following him angrily, your heels clacking.

“Did you come by just to make sure I wasn’t late?”

“Yeah.”

“You think that low of me?”  
“...Yeah?” Your scoff could be heard castle wide.

“Why are you _such_ an asshole?” You had caught up with him, your rage finally spilling over the edge. Axel’s eyes were cold and dead, no smirk ever reaching them or adding any kind of light to his face. He was bleak and you- you were full of emotion. Your chest heaving lightly as adrenaline pumped through your veins, your face scrunched up as you gave him your best death glare. It was a _selfish_ display of your heart and he was getting _pissed._

“Comes with the job, _little lady_ ,” he spat, moving past you without even stopping. His fingers were itching with warmth, his entire body feeling like it might combust at any moment. How he would love to feel outrage just one more time. Any kind of emotion would be a blessing. You didn’t know just how lucky you were. For your part, you just glared after him.

It wasn’t likely that he would complain about your actions, but the way he just ignored you was enough to make your skin itch. You had to fight from chasing him down and demanding he apologize for being such an _ass,_ but one more glance at your watch revealed you just didn’t have the time. It was a long walk back to the library after all.

A deep breath was inhaled through your mouth as you calmed yourself. You held it in for a moment before exhaling, smoothing your hair back into place behind your ears. You were calm, this was fine. A tug on your blazer set you back into your professional mindset and you were able to continue the journey to the library, back to your very curious work. Your mind wandered as you walked- covering topics from how nice a bagel from the bistro across from work would be right now to how lovely it’d be to flip everyone in this castle off as you backflipped out of there.

“Morning, sweetheart.” Xigbar had fallen into step with you as you crossed the entrance to his room, his hair pulled back into a ponytail once more.

“Good morning, Xigbar,” you spoke politely, unable to clear all sense of exasperation from your voice.

“Chilly greeting today, huh? What’s got you in a twist?” You rolled your eyes, looking over to him with a smile. He wore a wide grin, walking with his hands behind his back. He was very obviously slowing his wide pace to match yours, something you appreciated.

“Your resident clown,” you admitted, smile widening when Xigbar guffawed, not even attempting to hide the humor he found in your insult.

“You can’t let the juggalo get to you, doll.” You shrugged. Maybe he was right after all.

“Has anyone ever told you you could get traction alopecia if you keep tying your hair back like that?” You were nearing the library now, but couldn’t help yourself from getting a jab in. Something about being around Xigbar was just so relaxing and refreshing. Xigbar snorted, tilting his head back to laugh before giving you a smolder as he locked eyes with you.

“I haven’t gone bald yet, kitten. But if you like the hair down I can show you more later.” He couldn’t wink, but you were sure if he could- he would. You bashfully averted your gaze, staring instead at the door right in front of you.

“Gosh, I would- really. I just have so much work to do and no coffee to do it with.” You shrugged, shooting him a playful smirk as your hand landed on the door directly in front of you. “Bye, Xigbar. I hope you have a good day.”

“You too, kitten. Don’t let the assholes get you down.” You pushed on the door, slipping inside before firmly pressing it closed again. Alright, it was go time. Three notebooks down, only a few hundred more to go. You cracked your neck while walking to the wall, reaching up to grab hold of a fragile spine. A quick flip through some of the pages and you were able to tell that this one fit into the ‘Xehanort’ category. Perfect. You brought it to your desk and sat down, opening your laptop and pressing the on button. Another day, another moral dilemma.


	4. A Helping Hand

Well, Xehanort certainly had a lot to say and you couldn’t say you liked even one thing. Your eyes were burning from the strain of having read so much without giving them a break paired with the lack of sleep you’d gotten the night before. The bed had been comfy, but something about the world made you feel...uneasy. Instead, you’d opted to spend the night stargazing. Each star was a different world and the moon was the most gorgeous thing you’d ever seen. You’d have to look up a star position chart for this world to make sure you wouldn’t miss your favorite constellation rotation.

You finally decided you deserved a short break and pushed your laptop back, elbows finding themselves slammed against the cherry wood table. Two fingers reached up to rub either side of your temples, slowly circling and pushing in along the bone. Your eyes stung for a moment before finally relaxing. You could truly fall asleep right here, right now. But then you saw _his_ face. That smug looking clown haunted your lack of vision and you could feel yourself growing red again.

Just who did he even think he was? He didn’t even _know_ you but he thought he had the right to tell you you weren’t a hard worker? That you didn’t care about your job? Your eyes snapped open once more, focusing quickly on the laptop directly in front of you. You know what? Maybe break time wasn’t the best idea. With a short sigh, you pulled out your gummiphone and slid the screen up, resting your cheek on your upturned hand as you scrolled through the nonsense that was on your kingstagram feed today.

Your coworkers were living their best lives, your best friend was on vacation, and it seemed like even Seifer had gotten breakfast at the Bistro this morning. You scowled to yourself before posting a quick selfie to your story and locking the phone again. Maybe social media wasn’t the best idea, either. Before you could get back into typing, the door creaked open slowly. You raised an eyebrow, expecting a dusk to wander through at any moment.

Much to your surprise, an actual person entered. One you hadn’t seen yet, actually. Color you surprised. This man wasn’t quite as tall as the others you’d met, but he was carrying a cup of coffee and his blue eyes and expressions told a story that didn’t need any words. You almost wanted to smile just even looking at him, his blonde hair wa- was that a _mullet? In the twenty-first century?_ You had to stop your mouth from dropping and avert your eyes from the fashion disaster.

“H-hello!” you called out, standing to greet your visitor.

“Huh? Oh, you’re here!” The man smiled at you, kicking the door shut behind him as he walked to your makeshift desk. “You’re (y/n), right? I don’t think there’s another visitor roaming around, but man- it wouldn’t be the first time I really screwed up.” You laughed, nodding your head.

“I’m (y/f/n) (y/l/n), it’s nice to meet you. And you are?”

“Oh, you can just call me Demyx.” The animated man spoke with his hands a lot, this time choosing to wave one in front of his face

“Demyx,” you repeated, giving a professional smile. “How can I help you?”  
“Oh! Actually, I’m here to help you!” Demyx flashed a dazzling smile, putting his fist on his hip and holding out the coffee in his hand. “Xigbar said you needed caffeine, and today my mission is to be your personal assistant.”

“Your mission?” You were taken aback, but reached forward to grab the coffee anyway. Xigbar was right, you did need the caffeine. “Regardless, thank you very much for the coffee. But I don’t think I have much use for a personal assistant…” You tried to make it as easy as possible for him to segue himself out of there- but to no avail.

“Oh, great! Easy day for me, then.” Demyx sat himself directly in front of you in the spare chair, not caring for one moment if you wanted him in there. The blonde picked up a book you’d already typed through and began thumbing through the contents, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to pick apart the words inside. “Pointless.” he tossed it to the side, looking up at you instead. “Is it good?” Honestly you hadn’t had a chance to take a sip yet, you were so entertained watching Demyx move himself around.

“Oh!” You took a sip of the beverage and could almost feel yourself getting a cavity as what must of been pure liquified sugar rushed your molars. “It’s very sweet,” you commented, doing your best to keep a tame expression.

“Yeah, I just ordered you what I normally get. It’s a white chocolate mocha with extra white chocolate and caramel mixed in, add whipped cream.” You nodded, taking another courtesy sip. Well, if anything it would give you a sugar rush that would help you power through the rest of the day.

“Thank you, Demyx,” you smiled, returning to your seat and pulling the notebook back up to a reading position, tracing your fingers over countless handwritten words until you land on the one you’d left off on. Your fingers flowed with ease over your keyboard, dancing their way across the keys as they repeated such vile experiments onto the screen of your laptop. “So, what do you do here?” you asked, half out of kindness and to appease the awkward silence felt in the room.

“Huh? Oh, I play the sitar!” You nodded, eyebrows knitting together.

“For a living?” It was easy enough for you to maintain a conversation as you typed- luckily your brain had found a way to separate the two long ago.

“I guess my official job would be recon.”

“How do you mean?”  
“Oh, you know...finding new- uh, resources and scouting...talent.”

“Kind of like scouting?” You raise one eyebrow, looking away from the book for a moment. Demyx grinned at you, sitting back in his chair.

“Yeah, I guess. I really just like to play my sitar, though. But I guess this pays the bills, right?” You both laugh, nodding along. You knew the feeling. “So what do you do?” Your fingers stopped, head lifting up as you shot him a confused look.

“Th...This?” If Demyx had any color beforehand, it was gone now.

“Duh! I’m so full of it, sometimes. You’ll have to excuse me, I can be kind of dumb of ass sometimes.” You let out a howl, throwing your head back and roaring in laughter. Your hands gripped the side of the chair as Demyx joined in your laughter.

“Dumb of ass!” you repeated, all but kicking your feet around. It was the funniest thing you’d heard all week and you were already making plans to jot it down for future use. Demyx watched you laugh, bewildered. No one in the castle laughed at his jokes- like, ever. This was...a welcome change? He sat up a little more in his chair, resting his arm on the table.

“You have a really cute laugh,” he commented off hand, causing you to tap under your eyes with your ring finger to ensure you weren’t crying with laughter and slowly stop your chuckles.

“Sorry, I know I sound like a horse braying- that just got me in my giggle spot today,” you explained, taking a deep breath before looking down at your work again. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Uh...you can try, I don’t know if I’ll have a good answer, though,” Demyx grimaced, playing with the hem of his glove. You paid it no mind.

“Why do half the people here have sticks up your asses?”

“Ha-”

“Saix and Axel specifically,” you explained further, deciding instantly that Demyx was someone to be trusted. Demyx looked confused, looking you in the eyes, his head pulled back.

“Axel? With a stick up his-?” You nodded, easily knocking out another paragraph before turning the page.

“Yeah, I almost threw hands with him this morning over it.”

“Are we talking about the same guy? Red hair? Little purple things under his eyes?”

“That’s the one,” you confirmed.

“That’s so weird, I’ve always known him to be a goofball who can’t take his job seriously. He gets in trouble for it almost as much as I do.” Now it was your turn to look confused. Were you talking about two different people after all?

“That is weird…” you agree, but say no more on the subject. You return to your work silently, the only noise in the room Demyx drumming on the table and your keys clacking away. It didn’t seem like much time had passed before Demyx glanced up to stare at the clock on the wall and gasped.

“Oh, it’s lunch time!” Your head perked up at these words, almost knocking over your now empty coffee cup. Finally, an hour of peace. “Do you want me to go make you anything?” Oh, that’s right, he was your personal assistant for the day.

“No, thank you. Is it alright if I go myself? I’d love to stretch my legs for a minute.” You stood up, sidestepping out of the way as you bookmarked your spot in the notebook, looking away from the swirls in Xehanort’s cursive writing for even one second helped ease your constant headache.

“You’re really making my job easy on me today, you know that?” You gave Demyx a warm smile, walking over and pulling the door open for the both of you.

“Keep making me laugh and I’ll take it easy on you, got it?”

“Memorized?” You rolled your eyes, thrown back to last night.

“Don’t remind me,” you grumbled, replaying the stupid catch phrase in your head. “How would I, uh, get to the kitchen, again?” Demyx gave you directions that were easy enough to follow and sent you on your way. He had plans to nap for an hour straight and then bring snacks into the library to eat. Was eating in there allowed? No, but no one could yell at him in a terrifying way if you were in there with him. He was laughing to himself over his evil plan when he ran into the devil himself.

“Oh, hey Axel!” Demyx called out to the member directly above him. Axel paused his footsteps, running a hand through his hair as he turned around.

“What’s up, water for brains?” Axel asked in a bored voice, crossing his arms loosely.

“Why are you being such a dick to (y/n)?” Axel’s eyebrows raised, a smirk playing on his sharp features.

“Excuse me?” he questioned, a chuckle forming in his words.

“I just wanted to see if there was a reason, cause it’s not like you...and I skipped the last meeting. Are we not supposed to be nice?” Demyx asked, looking around to make sure you weren’t anywhere nearby.

“I’m not being mean to anyone, regardless of who comes to you complaining about their _bully problem_ .” Axel’s bright green eyes rolled so hard he almost saw the inside of his head. Come on, really? You were _that_ sensitive?

“Oh...that’s weird then. Maybe just try being a little nicer. Later, dude.” Demyx shrugged past, not thinking much of the situation. It sounded like he wasn’t in trouble, and that was all the information he needed. Axel, however, was still standing in place, not even one muscle moving. Why were you being so _emotional_ and did you not realize how much you were _flaunting_ it? Fine, if you wanted to be that way, he’d just have to work even harder to tease you. Really get a chance to see what emotions were like first hand. With another smirk, he turned on his heel- his new destination set.

\---

With the swipe of a knife you were done: your masterpiece completed. You grinned down at the object you’d slaved over, stomach growling. Was it just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wonder bread? Absolutely. But it was the first thing you’d eaten in almost twenty-four hours and it was the perfect comfort food. You swept the crumbs from the bread into the trash can before taking a large bite off one of the corners.

The sweet peanut butter being complimented by the cool and bitter jelly was a perfect contrast and you relaxed against the counter, chewing and swallowing as you gave a happy sigh. You took the time to look around the kitchen and admire the intricacy that went into the design of it. Sure, everything was stark white and smooth, but little details everywhere amazed you. The crown molding was carved to look as if it told a story if you followed it around long enough and understood what the symbols meant. It looked almost like hieroglyphs from an ancient time.

An interesting design choice- but one that melded beautifully with the rest of the layout. The ceilings were so high in here that you almost couldn’t see where they stopped, but the marble pillars stretched the whole way without interruption. Aesthetically, the place was stunning. You took another large bite of your sandwich and walked to the fridge, pulling it open. If you were a water bottle, where would you be?

Your eyes darted every which way until finally locking on to the clear plastic you craved. Perfect. You pulled a bottle forward by the cap, swinging the door shut after. That was when you made regretful eye contact with him again. Axel was standing next to the fridge door, leaning against the wall as if he was waiting for you. You jumped back a little, the bottle almost falling from your hands. “Holy sh-” You placed a hand over your heart, leaning down and taking a deep breath. “Don’t do that to a person!”

Axel smirked. Oh, your heart was already racing? This was gonna be _fun._ “What are you up to, little lady?” So he wanted to ignore you, cool. You rolled your eyes, opening up your water bottle and taking a sip before dignifying him with a response. The chilled water felt relieving against your sticky mouth and refreshing after all the sugary coffee you’d downed in the last hour or so. You gave your best smile to the redhead, grabbing your sandwich again and holding it up.

“Peanut butter and jelly. Want one?” You were offering to be kind, not to actually have intentions of doing it. So of course-

“Yeah, I do. Thanks, (y/n).” Axel pulled up a stool to the bar, sitting with his chin in his hands. Of course. You exhale through your nose before taking another bite of your snack and walking back to the last known location of the bread. Axel snickered under his breath at you getting so easily flustered as he watches you go throughout the normal motions of-you know-creating a fine delicacy such as this. “So, I guess I should apologize.” Your teeth grit.

“For what?” You were playing stupid and you both knew it.

“You don’t have to act like that. I was just following my mission assignment for the day.” That was the second time you’d heard the word ‘mission’ thrown about so lightly as a day to day task. “The first part of which was making sure you got there on time. So if anything, you can talk to Saix or Xemnas about it.” He was giving you a dazzling smile, his elbow resting against granite. Okay, maybe you’d been too quick to lash out.

“Thank you, Axel. I’m sorry if I seemed on edge. There’s a lot of people out there who seem to think I have no idea how to do my job, and I guess I don’t take too kindly to that.” You closed the sandwich, slicing the fluffy bread from corner to corner. “Here, eat up. I make a pretty good one, if I toot my own horn.” You picked up both pieces to the puzzle, handing them over. As they transferred into Axel’s velvety gloved hands, you furrowed your brows. “You don’t take them off to eat?”

“Takes up too much time, got it memorized?” Axel shoots you a wink before taking a bite of one corner, taking nearly a quarter of the entire sandwich into his mouth as your eyebrows raised then lowered, returning to their original resting position. “Thanks, little lady. How you doin’ here? You like it?” You shrugged, glad to be having a normal conversation for once.

“It’s okay, I’ve definitely been to worse places. It’s beautiful here- with the stars visible all the time. I wouldn’t mind living here, I guess. In this world that is- not, like, _here_ here,” you panicked, waving your hand out to disassociate the words you’d just put together and delivered to him. Axel laughed, tilting his head back with a howl.

“No, I wouldn’t think you’d wanna live here. You’re a long way from Kansas, Dorothy. And without Toto, too.”

“Actually...I don’t mind getting out of Twilight Town. It’s just so small there and there’s so much to see everywhere else. Have you ever been?” Axel looks down to his sandwich, flipping it a few times between his fingers.

“Yeah, a couple times. You grow up there?” You smiled and shook your head, remembering your home world. You could almost feel the grass, dirt, and warm waters below your feet.

“No, I’m from Corona,” you said, finishing up your sandwich by popping the corner into your mouth and chewing.

“Oh, I’ve been there. Very pretty. Why’d you leave?”

“My parents moved when I was young and I never really went back, I guess.” You were saying too much, but you couldn’t stop.

“So the girl moves from Corona, lands in Twilight Town, and ends up in The World That Never Was. Sounds like a steady decrease there, little lady.” You couldn’t help but laugh, shrugging along and smiling down at him. He was growing on you.

“Maybe so, but I love the adventure of it all. I wanna see every world out there.” You had a dreamy look on your face, thinking about it all. Axel finished his sandwich, muttering a ‘yeah, okay’ under his breath.

“Listen, I’ve seen a lot of them. Most ain’t worth stopping by.” You shrugged, pulled back to the conversation.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind. Just to say I’ve seen it all. It’s stupid, anyway. Not like I have a way to get there, right?” You laughed at yourself, smiling as Axel joined in with a chuckle.

“You’re a crazy one, I’ll give you that. Thanks for the sandwich.”

“You’ll pay me back next time, I’m sure,” you teased, rerolling the bread bag and clipping it shut. You swept the crumbs into the trash can again. Seifer’s name illuminated your screen, attached to a message. You slid the screen up, frowning at the text.

‘Anyone there eat your heart yet? Miss you in the office.’

You locked the screen again, looking up and jumping back again as Axel once again had appeared out of nowhere. “So that’s what they say about us up here, huh?” He laughed, crossing his arms. He could feel his fingertips heating up-jolts of fire travelling up his veins. He had to keep himself calm in front of you so you wouldn’t clue yourself in on the secret- but _fuck_ if he wasn’t so _fucking mad_. Eating hearts, huh? If only it were that easy. If only things that lost their hearts just died around here.

What a stupid rumor. His anger was coming through his expression, causing you to nervously chuckle. “It’s uh- not nice to read over people’s shoulders, I guess?” You avoided eye contact like the plague- all but feeling a burn as his eyes seared into yours. “That’s just someone stupid I work with. Be glad he wasn’t the one who was sent here.” You rolled your eyes, sliding your phone into your pocket once more. “But sandwich? You owe me one? Got it memorized?” You tapped your temple, obviously giving him a hard time. Axel’s expression softened as a chuckle forced its way out, despite him trying to hold it in. What was that about? He was normally able to control his reactions better than some people could control the rate they poured water.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll make you an Axel special.” His tone was bored- instantly returning to the flat tone you’d heard before as opposed to the animated voice he’d been chatting with you with for the last twenty minutes or so.

“And what’s that entail?” you press on, thanking a dusk quietly as it cleaned up your mess- as if summoned.

“Oh it’s two slices of bread-”

“I’m already into it,” you encouraged.

“-Sharp cheddar cheese, mustard, and hot cheetos.”

“...And you lost me.” Axel snorted.

“You’ll see. You’ll be begging me for the recipe.”

“I think you just gave it to me and I can’t say I’m falling over myself to make it.”

“Just wait until tomorrow, got it memorized?” He tapped his temple knowingly, causing a giggle to spill from between your lips.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Awkward silence. You were both just looking at each other for a few moments, neither one looking away. Was this a test? Was this sexual tension? You broke the gaze first, willing to take the L. “I should get back to work. If you see Demyx will you tell him to just enjoy the rest of the day off?” You cracked your knuckles, ready to bring yourself back to the realm of the working.

“Absolutely not. That guy needs a day off like I need a root canal.” Axel’s head shook, walking beside you as you made your way back to the hall, fighting to remember your way back to the library.

“Oookay, I’ll tell him if he comes in, then.” You smiled up at Axel, tucking hair behind your ear. “I’m very glad we had this time together, Axel. Thank you for apologizing, and, once again, I also apologize for being troublesome.

“Water under the bridge, little lady.”

“Right then. I’ll see you around!” And with a small wave, you departed from Axel’s side, headed back towards your library. You wondered to yourself what had happened, how come he had changed so rapidly. You looked back over your shoulder, color rushing to your cheeks as you notice he was staring after you. You increased your pace, trying to leave the interaction behind before you gave him the wrong idea.

Well, it hadn’t exactly gone as planned. He had planned to get all of your emotions going at one time and laughed when you struggled to contain them all, but had gotten somehow invested in your conversation. “Every world, huh?” he mumbled to himself. How stupid people with emotions are. To have dreams and expect them to be fulfilled without fail. He’d been like that once. Now he couldn’t see a point. Nothing ever happened according to plan for him.

He couldn’t wait to play with you again tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long to update!! Work has been...crazy busy. We're in peak season rn but it should be slowing down and I can get back into what REALLY matters: being self indulgent  
> Also this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written but it doesn't feel super long to me? I apologize if it's boring filler  
> I hope you're all having a nice Aries season by reading up w the only aries I can stand: Axel.  
> -Minnie


	5. After the Work Day

Your heels echoed on the way back to the library, the empty halls serving as nothing but an echo chamber for you. The noise got rhythmic after awhile, beginning to soothe you. Your stomach was full and your emotions were settled- it would be a great time for a nap. However, work called and you were answering. You cracked your knuckles as you walked, getting your finger exercises ready so you wouldn’t develop a nasty case of early onset carpal tunnel. 

“Sweetheart, we’ve gotta stop meeting like this.” You smirked to yourself, not even bothering to look over your shoulder as you heard footsteps approach from behind.

“Xigbar,” you grinned, not missing a step. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I just got done for the day, how about you?” He fell into step with you, his arms crossed as he leaned back in a complete ‘i’m-cool-i-promise’ kind of way.

“About halfway through. You don’t have a nine to five clock time around here?” you questioned, checking your watch to make sure you hadn’t spent too much time away. Xigbar snorted in response, waving his hand around.

“As if. You’re done with work when you’re done with your assignment of the day around here.” You shrugged. Seemed like a nice principal if you got everything done post haste. 

“Is that why Demyx keeps hanging around even when I tell him I don’t need him? Oh!” you almost forgot. Your fingers snapped together as you connected two brain cells together. “Thank you for telling him about the coffee. It helped get me through the morning.” You gave Xigbar a small smile, growing when you saw him smirk.

“What’s a guy good for if he can’t help a pretty little thing keep her eyes open, huh?” Your cheeks burned with heat, chuckling to yourself under your breath as you pushed hair behind your ear. Why was he so flirtatious? Why did it affect you?

“Wow, that was one of the worst pickup lines I’ve ever heard,” you laugh, keeping your vision trained dead ahead.

“Well, aren’t we flattering ourselves. Who said it was a pickup line, sweetheart?” Your eyes rolled, elbowing Xigbar gently.

“ **I** was kidding. Were you?” You raise one eyebrow as best you can, turning around to walk backwards as you approached the library door.

“My secret,” Xigbar teased, bringing a finger up to his lips. You shook your head, hand on the handle and ready to exert the force it took to get the door to open. You glanced past Xigbar and to the door on the other side of the hall, still as mysterious as ever.

“Hey, what’s on the other side of that door? Axel made it seem like it was some kind of torture chamber.” Xigbar laughed aloud again, leaning back with the force of it.

“Trust me-- he was right. You do  **not** want to go in there, okay? Take it from both of us.”

“What, you think I can’t handle it?” 

“Oh, pumpkin, I’m not doubting your abilities. It’s just cruel to have you go down there.” Xigbar shook his head from side to side to make his point. You pouted and gave a sigh, turning your back to the one-eyed man. 

“Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll just have to find out for myself.”

“I’d really advise against it, cupcake.”

“Good day, Xigbar. Thanks for walking me back to the library.” You turned over your shoulder and gave him a wave before forcing your way into the library once more, shutting the door behind you. “Oh, Demyx, you’re back already! How was your nap?” Demyx shrugged, yawning loudly from his reclined state in the chair directly across from your laptop, a comic book filling his hands.

“Alright, I guess. Wish it was longer though, you know? How was lunch?” You chuckled, taking your seat once more. 

“It was nice, I had a peanut butter and jelly,” you informed him, lifting the screen of your laptop. Demyx’s mouth dropped and a whine left his throat.

“And you didn’t make me one?”

“You didn’t ask!” Your eyes went wide. Fuck, you should’ve thought about that.

“Aw, man.” Demyx was pouting now. You panicked slightly, tapping your fingers on the table.

“Would the Dusks make you one?” you suggested, leaning forward and nodding eagerly. Demyx snapped his fingers together, leaning forward with you.

“Oh, you’re right! Good idea, (y/n).” the Melodious Nocturne moved to stand up, but you reached forward and grabbed his wrist before he could. 

“Wait-- did you talk to Axel, by chance?” The display of expressions that crossed over the blonde’s features were indescribable, finally landing on a smile.

“Why?”

“He was just...we had a really nice talk, and I think I was too harsh on him before. He’s...not so bad,” you concluded, releasing his wrist and returning to a sitting position. Demyx’s grin was all but shit-eating.

“Yeah, he’s not the worst all the time.” He shrugged, standing up and twisting his back to crack the spine. “I’m gonna order up a sandwich, I’ll be back, okay?”

“Happy munching,” you chuckle, saluting him lazily as you crack the notebook back open, returning to work.

\--

“Quitting time!” Demyx’s words brought you out of your work with a jolt, a hand flying over your heart as your pulse raced rapidly.

“Holy- that scared the  _ lights _ out of me!” you complained, gasping in a breath.

“Huh? Oh, right, the he- anyway! Sorry, (y/n), but work’s over!” Demyx stretched in his chair and you looked at the clock: Five-oh-three p.m.. He was right. 

“You’re late,” you scolded, tutting your tongue at him as you finished up the last paragraph. It was getting easier to disassociate the words from reality, pretending it was fiction was a lot easier, to be honest. “Okay, let’s get out of here.” You closed the screen to your laptop, standing up and stretching as well. “Thank you for being my assistant today, I really appreciate it.”

“I didn’t have a choice, but you’re welcome! Thanks for not making me work,” Demyx responded, shrugging his shoulders. You rolled your eyes as you followed him to the door, thanking him as he opened it. Once you took one step out the door, you stopped in your tracks. A damn near parade of black coats was walking by, close to your personal bubble. 

“Demyx, you care to join us tonight?” A blonde man that somewhat resembled a Mr. Clean with hair drawled in a British accent, brushing his gloved hands over Demyx’s shoulders as he passed by.

“Oh, it’s Wednesday huh?” Demyx scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously as he exhaled. “I guess...but I’m not staying long.”   
“Nothing about you is long,” A woman with beautiful blonde hair spoke. It was cropped into a bob except two pieces that arched back to give her almost- you were sure they weren’t supposed to be, but almost bunny ears. 

“Hey!”

“What’s happening?” you whispered almost under your breath, waiting for the parade to end.

“It’s hump day, sweetheart,” Xigbar winked, coming to a stop in front of you. 

“We all go out once a week to get through it all,” Axel explained further, standing next to Xigbar with his arms crossed. “Got it memorized?”

“Oh!” you concluded. Your work would do this sometimes, go out to a bar after a really hard day of work. It was always heaps of fun to be around your business friends under vastly different circumstances. “That sounds nice, I hope you enjoy it,” you spoke with a smile, ready to excuse yourself back to your room for the night. 

“Why don’t you come with us, little lady?” It took you off guard;- hearing that from Axel’s voice. Your head turned in his direction instantly, blinking once while trying to make sure you had expected it. Xigbar, unbeknownst to you, pressed his lips into a flat line. He’d been cut off, Axel taking his line. Meanwhile, you were fighting with yourself in your head. Going out on a work night wasn’t a good idea and you were tired, but it sounded  _ really _ fun and you didn’t want to rebuke this newly formed friendship. After taking a small breath you smiled at him, shaking your head.

“I wouldn’t want to impede,” you said, waving your hand in front of you. 

“I want you to come, though,” Axel followed, a crooked smile on his face. Your heart skipped a beat as you stared up at him, a large smile blooming across your face. 

“Oh-okay,” you agreed at last, taking a step closer to him. “I’m really flattered, thank you…”

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get going.” Xigbar draped his arm over your shoulders, the weight bogging you down a little as you walked with the rest of the group through the castle. You...were invited. And not out of courtesy. It was..very nice, actually.

It wasn’t like you didn’t have  _ friends _ back home or anything, but they weren’t exactly people you would go out with or call to make plans with- and they certainly didn’t return the favor. It felt very heartwarming to have people you barely know want to spend time with you. There was a hint of the slightest spring to your step as you followed along, not even worried about the way Xigbar’s arm draped you, or the smirk he shot Axel’s direction.

The walk throughout the castle was full of you greeting various new employees you hadn’t met yet, introducing yourself and getting a feel for their personalities. From what you could tell, the group was a friendly bunch, full of energy and personalities from every walk of life. The only other girl there, Larxene, had a firecracker personality that made you laugh with every insult she hurled at the boys. It was something you could get behind, truly.

The tallest of the bunch, Lexaeus, was the strong and silent type. The british Mr. Clean was named Luxord and was a very talented gambler. By the time you’d gotten to the Castle doors he’d already bet his way into you owing him a dance. Actually, by your count, the only ones missing tonight were Saix and Xemnas. As the supervisor and manager, you assumed they just didn’t want to make things too familiar by fraternizing with their employees. A smart move, for sure, but maybe a little lonely.

“So how did a beautiful little thing like you end up with such a boring job, sweetheart?” Xigbar asked as your heels clicked onto the uneven gravel. Axel held your arm when you shot it out to try and steady yourself. You thanked the redhead, blushing a little at how unsteady you were the second you were off solid paving.

“Sorry, um- I guess it’s just something I was always good at? I got really high grades in school with computers. I started using them to program my telescope better, but got really good at typing. So why not, right? It’s not  _ so  _ boring. It brought me here, at least,” you shrugged awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck, pulling back from Axel’s touch finally. Xigbar chuckled, putting his arm back over your shoulders. 

“I could think of a better couple jobs for you,” he purred with a wink. You felt heat rise to your face with exponential speed, color blossoming underneath your well worn foundation as you wished you’d taken a minute to refresh before leaving.

“Your telescope?” A sharp voice cut in. Your head twisted, turning to smile up at Axel. 

“Yeah, I like to chart the stars,” you laughed, playing off your nerdy guilty pleasure. “I know, it’s silly- but it landed me with a career, so,” you shrugged, ready to change the subject. 

“I used to know someone who loved the stars, too. You would’ve gotten along well,” Axel spoke, giving you...was that a gentle look? You were almost unsettled by his sudden kindness, having whiplash from all the emotions he showed throughout the day. 

“Well, that doesn’t help me now, does it, Axel?” you jested, poking him with your elbow so he knew you were teasing. 

“I never said I was useful,” he chuckled back, crossing his arms as the group dispersed into smaller fragments, each walking toward one common destination. Your group had dwindled down into just you, Axel, and Xigbar, whose arm was still keeping you prisoner to his side. 

“You can say that again, flamesilocks,” Xigbar teased, snorting and making you break into a short bout of giggles yourself. 

“Oh, you need me to say it again? I thought you managed to keep both ears unlike your eyes- or maybe you’re just getting old, you crisp rat,” Axel roasted, a smirk growing on his face. You made a noise of shock at just how  _ far  _ the redhead dragged the Freeshooter before blowing a raspberry from your lips and breaking into peals of laughter, crouching down and holding your stomach as you tried and failed to stop laughing.

“A-Axel!” you squeaked out, dabbing tears from under your eyes. “That’s so mean! I’m so sorry, Xigbar. I-it’s not funny! It was just s-so much!” you finally calmed down to chuckles, looking up at last to see two men staring back down at you with incredulous looks on their faces. Luckily it was amusement on both of their features that kept you laughing again.

It was at that moment that Axel decided that  _ this _ form of emotion was the one he liked seeing you display the most. The one where you lost control and couldn’t help but let your  _ heart _ take hold. The emotion you felt at his hand. He got to see fear so often during his job- between targets and those who witnessed his missions first hand. It was so different to see someone having a joyous time. Even if you were flaunting it, maybe it wasn’t so bad if he was the one who made you experience that.

Of course, Xigbar decided he really liked seeing that side of you, too. The way your eyes closed and nose scrunched up when you laughed, the sexy way your lips curled up, the sass in your voice when someone got a little too friendly with you. He’d love to have you underneath him, using that pretty mouth for other purposes, submitting to his beck and call. One thing, of course, was that he absolutely hated that Axel was the one causing it. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be here all week,” Axel spoke flatly, mock rolling his eyes as he extended a hand to help you back up. You took hold of it, still with a case of the giggles as you were pulled back to a standing height.

“What a coincidence, I will be too.”

“They really send you home for the weekend?” Xigbar asked, ignoring Axel’s comments completely.

“Yeah, I have weekends off and the company definitely isn’t paying me overtime for that,” you responded, shaking your head.

“What a shame. I’ll miss having my little spitfire around here.” And the blush returned. 

“But, Xigbar, you’ll still have me around. I’d never leave you,” Axel shot back, making you laugh again. It was a cacophony of insults, jabs, laughter, and innuendos all around as you all three walked to the bar and by the time you arrived your cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. Axel and Xigbar might be the funniest people you’d ever met- or, rather, the best at roasting each other. Xigbar loved to flatter you as well, which brought blush to your cheeks each time. Sure, you got the same treatment from Seifer at home, but it was different with, like- actual people. Not someone who had to spend so much time with you in such close quarters.

Once everyone from the castle had successfully infiltrated the bar, you began to cling to your two friends as closely as possible, not really in the mood to mix and mingle with the various citizens of The World That Never Was. Not that you weren’t social- it was just a lot of introductions or awkward conversations that you just weren’t keen to take on right now. And so you found a table with the two men and began ordering drinks you’d never heard of- sweet and fruity but unsuspecting with the amount of alcohol they contained. Three of these drinks plus the various shots being sent your way from your new acquaintances and Xigbar and Axel telling you you just  _ had _ to try a sip of their drink, you’d never believe how good it was- and your vision was blurry and your mind with a thick blanket of fuzziness over it. 

You were laughing and giggling the entirety of the night. As it turns out, Axel was a really nice guy. You genuinely felt bad for being so angry at him this morning, for teasing him behind his back with not one but two of his coworkers. “Hey, you’re great, you know that?” you slurred, smiling hazily at Axel. The redhead laughed, clearly handling his alcohol better than you were.

“Okay, I think someone’s had too much to drink. Why don’t I get you some french fries.”   
“I’m serious!” you complained. How rude, you were trying to genuinely apologize and he wouldn’t take you seriously? “And you’re cute, too. Just so you know I’m being real.” you nodded, deciding that was the perfect deciding factor. Axel’s eyebrows raised. Yeah, someone pretending to like him was definitely the epitome of being ‘too drunk’.

“I’ll go get those fries. You wait here, alright?” His gloved hand came down on the top of your head, gently mussing the hair there. You closed your eyes at the contact, scrunching up your nose. If Axel had a heart, it might soften at that moment. It was fun getting to learn all your little quirks and mannerisms. He turned and walked towards the bar, his mission being to help you sober up.

Once gone, you turned to your other companion who was still knocking back his beer. “So, these snazzy coats aren’t a requirement around here?” you teased Xigbar, flipping the chain hanging from the right side of his hood around, twirling your finger around it. Xigbar snorted, leaning forward so he could talk to you easier over the music.

“As if! Not just anybody gets to wear this thing, you know.”

“And so how’d you get so lucky?” 

“That’s a loaded story, sweetheart. You sure you’re ready to unlock all of that?” You weren’t sure if it was the drink or the fact that Xigbar had been flirting with you for over twenty four hours almost unendingly, but you were finally about to give in. You pulled your plump lips into a smirk, eyes half lidded as you shrugged.

“And what if I am?” you teased, leaning even closer. 

“We’ll just have to check,” Xigbar flirted back, the look on his face downright smug. Within seconds, his lips were on your hungrily, moving against you with urgency. You returned his kiss somewhat sloppily, your movements slowed from the alcohol. Regardless, you moved closer to him, gasping as he forced your mouth open to allow himself inside. You reached forward to grab hold of his cloak, making a noise of surprise as you felt his fingers grip your chin tightly- trying to display that he was the one in control of this. 

His other hand snaked around to the back of your neck, holding your head in place as he tilted your chin up, allowing him access to your neck; or, more importantly, your jawline. His lips worked expertly, nipping and sucking along the underside of your jaw until he heard you whine. “Bullseye,” he mumbled against your skin, thrilling at the feeling of you shivering due to his ministrations. One of his hands trailed down until his fingers found your pulse, reveling in the feel of a heart pressing against the pads. How unique. He pulled away at last, smirking when he saw a bruise blossoming just underneath your jawline, somewhere you might not notice it- but he’d know it was there. “Watch out, firehead at three o’clock,” he explained, pushing his chair away from yours as you gasped in a breath, blushing fiercely while you sucked down the melted ice in your last drink, trying to keep yourself from becoming too parched. Almost instantly, Axel sat back down, sliding a basket of fries your way. 

“You should try and eat a couple of these, or you really  _ won’t _ wake up tomorrow morning, and I’m gonna have to come get you again.” You nervously chuckled, a far cry from the guffaws you’d been giving Axel’s jokes the rest of the night. Axel’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowing. “That was a joke- you’re allowed to laugh. Everything alright in there?” Axel reached his hand forward to knock softly on your forehead. You gave a genuine giggle at this, trying to let go of the awkward tension.

“I’m just tired,” you explain, reaching forward and grabbing a few fries, nibbling on them. “Thank you, by the way,” you added, motioning to the carbs that were supposed to soak up the alcohol in your stomach. 

“‘Course. You ready to head back to the castle?” Axel asked, eyes trained on you.

“Hey, she’s ready to go back when she says she’s ready. Let the kitten have a little fun,” Xigbar said, a little malice in his voice. You stood up, shaking your head. 

“No, I’m good. I think I should probably go to bed, it’s not good for me to be out too late on a work night. Thank you, Axel.” Axel, who had been ready to tear into the rat, quickly turned his head back to you, softening his scary expression.

“Of course,” he spoke, standing up to go with you. You took the opportunity to gobble a few more fries down- it really was for the best that you get some bread in you- and grab your purse. Xigbar stood up as well, unzipping his black cloak and slipping it off, revealing his civilian clothes underneath.

“Here, sweetheart. It’s a cold walk back- this’ll keep you warm.” Xigbar walked over to you, noting the distinct warmth coming from Axel’s body as he passed the Flurry, and draped the jacket over your shoulders. You made a noise of surprise over just how warm the inside was.

“Oh, thank you very much,” you smiled, unable to make direct eye contact with the man. You could see his scar twitch in your peripheral as he pulled his lips into a smirk.

“Later, lamers,” Xigbar answered, throwing up the peace sign as he disappeared into the crowd. 

“You ready?” Axel asked, grabbing your hand. You nodded, gripping the velvety suede of his glove as he pulled you through the sea of people and out into the street again. You gasped in a breath of fresh air, glad to be back outdoors. 

“Oh, it is cold,” you mumbled, pulling the cloak closer like a shawl across your shoulders. After a moment you looked up at Axel, admiring just how handsome he actually was. He could almost make you believe he was a prince with his regal beauty. You shook your head to clear it of the thought, instead opting to tease him. “Do you really never take your gloves off?” 

“Why, you dying to know what it feels like to hold my hand for real?” Axel snorted, tucking his hands in his pockets while you both walked. You blushed fiercely, feeling the heat rise to your cheekbones and the tips of your ears. 

“Don’t be stupid,” you chided, finding the walk back to the castle was going faster than the walk from it. Maybe because there were less people around, maybe because it was quieter. “That just has to get uncomfortable.” Not more uncomfortable than taking them off, Axel thought to himself. He had to think of a way to change the subject.

“I’m more interested in knowing more about you.”

“M-me?” Bingo. You really wore your heart on your sleeve didn’t you? You were gonna get hurt that way. He had.

“Yeah, you. What do you do on your days off?” You couldn’t detect the deflection in your addled mind and instead swallowed, looking at your feet.

“I study astrology a lot- I chart the stars, like I said. I guess I spend a lot of time looking at the sky- dreaming about what it would be like to go to all those worlds myself.” Your gaze turned skyward, smiling at the beautiful permanent nights sky here. This is how you’d like it to be every day, you decided. Axel gave a small smile as he watched you, your pace slowing as you gazed on. It was almost like you could pinpoint each star and pick constellations out even while drunk. Having something to enjoy wasn’t in his timeline- so watching you have it was at the very least entertaining.

It was then that your ankle twisted, giving out from underneath you. With a yelp, you fell sideways into Axel’s chest, your balance disappearing. “Holy shit- ow!” you cried, trying to keep yourself from falling.

“Easy there, tiger,” Axel cooed, catching you with ease, his hands grabbing your elbows and hoisting you back up as his eyes widened. 

“Th-thank you, I’m so so-ow!” you cried, collapsing again the second you tried to put weight on it. Axel’s arms encircled you this time, making damn sure you wouldn’t fall a third time.

“Okay, walking doesn’t exactly seem like the best option for you right now.”   
“What else am I supposed to do, fly?” you complained, hissing at the pain in your ankle. 

“Pipe down, I have a plan.” With a shift of his arms and a crouch down, Axel swept you off your feet- literally. You shrieked as the ground disappeared from beneath you, your head spinning as he scooped you up. “Come on, princess, you’re gonna burst my eardrum here.” His eye shut tightly as he clenched his right side, trying to block out the noise. You panted, staring down at the ground as your chauffeur began to carry you forwards.

“Please don’t drop me,” you begged, clutching onto the strings of his cloak for dear life. 

“You kidding me? You weigh less than my laundry basket.”

“Wh- how often are you doing laundry? Once a year?”

“You’re a noisy passenger, you know that?” You looked back up at Axel and then tilted your head to the side, your head spinning still. Your eyes closed tightly, shaking your head.

“I’m so embarrassed,” you complained.

“Just relax,” Axel crooned, extending the vowels. You took his advice, staying silent and your eyes shut. It was soothing- the jostle as he shifted from foot to foot. Within minutes, you honestly fell asleep, the alcohol acting as a sleep aid. When Axel noticed this he chuckled lowly, careful not to jostle you awake with his movements. You were so peaceful, it was almost hilarious how quick you were able to fall asleep- how little you doubted the people around you. 

His eyes suddenly narrowed in on a mark on your neck. Had that been there previously? He pulled you under a street lamp, making your eyes crinkle shut and your head fall to the side, exposing the bruise further. Oh. No, that was a hickey. And it definitely hadn’t been there before he had left the table. He swallowed thickly, walking forward once more.

Whatever, at least you weren’t stupid enough to be getting hurt. Even if you were stupid enough to turn to Xigbar of all people. His expression went flat, no hint of emotion plaguing his features. He just needed to get you back to your room. The scent coming from Xigbar’s coat was almost cloying now, his cologne wafting off you in thick clouds. When he began the ascent to the castle, you fell more into his chest, covering the mark once more. ‘How unprofessional,’ he thought. Maybe he should have a chat with Saix about this. Like, tonight. He should visit tonight. 

Though you’d never known if you saw him, he’d just made plans for himself that evening, and he wasn’t sure talking would be the main agenda. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally my favorite thing to write ever  
> I just wanted to say thank you to my sweet friend Gigi who helped me think up an idea for this chapter <3 Y'all can thank her for the spice!!!  
> Also- I switched the formatting up. Do yall prefer the words being left margined? lmk!  
> -Minnie


	6. Courtesy Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna keep it real with u chief...this chapter is PURELY a smut chapter. It really adds nothing to the plot if you skip it if you're not comfortable reading it, just go on in spirit knowing that reader hooked up if you that isn't something you like reading.

Was the world around you pulsing, or was it just your head? Even in the darkness with your eyes closed, everything seemed too bright through your shut lids. And the  _ noise _ coming from the walls was enough to make you throw up right then and there. You lifted your head, deciding that it was more important to wake up now than to sleep through your alarm and be late. Why were you so stupid? Drinking on a Wednesday night? Your eyes fluttered open and immediately squished shut again, hearing three loud bangs from the hallway.

“Ugh,” you groaned, sitting up in bed, fingers pinching the bridge of your nose. What hellacious punishment was this? Your eyes reopened, vision bleary. After blinking a few times, it was easier to make out your surroundings. You were weighed down with something...someone’s uniform? Oh God. Oh fuck. What had you done? You began to panic, looking around for more clues as to what had happened. The biggest difference was the half full glass of water on your nightstand with two blue pills next to it, a sticky note underneath them with ‘figured you’d need these in the morning’ scribbled on it messily. 

Well, at least someone had been thoughtful. One more pulse of your migraine was enough to make you knock back the pills followed by a big gulp of water. Actually, you were downing the entire glass. Hydration was the best cure for hangovers, right? Three bangs came from the hall again and your eyes rolled. Oh, wait. That was the _door_. You checked your gummiphone: 6:12 AM. Who in the-- “Coming!” you called, wincing at your own voice. Without even bothering to take the cloak off, you open your door, poking your head around the lip to see who your intruder was. “Xigbar?”  
“Morning, sunshine,” he sang, his hair already pulled back for the day, dressed in a low cut v neck and his work pants, boots on. All that was missing...was his- “I think you have something that belongs to me.” You shoved your door the rest of the way open, letting him see that you were standing there, his cloak hanging off your shoulders, your work clothes from yesterday disheveled underneath. Xigbar let out a low whistle, looking you over slowly, a smirk curling onto his face.

“I’m assuming this,” you motioned to yourself, “is what you’re looking for.” Xigbar’s eyebrows raised, his head tilting just so to the side.

“I mean, I was only coming for the cloak, but I wouldn’t mind staying for the full course meal, sweetheart.” You snorted, hand flying to your head after. Wrong move. Stupid move. You shouldn’t have done that. “Got a hangover?”

“Could you tell?” you teased, chuckling at yourself. “Sorry, I’m not sure how I got this. Was it...you who left me the medicine?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. That was me, doll.”

“Well, thank you, I’m sure it’ll kick in any moment now.”

“I know other ways to cure a hangover, anyway. Did you say you don’t remember how I selflessly gave you the jacket off my back to keep you warm?” You felt color rushing to your cheeks. 

“Did you? I-I’m sorry, I really don’t remember much at all.” You were very embarrassed, this was so awkward and unprofessional.

“You remember how you got that pretty little mark of yours?” Xigbar’s hand reached forward, glove free, to brush two fingers under your jawline, tapping on a certain spot. Your eyes went wide as you stepped back and grabbed your phone, opening the selfie camera to inspect the spot, gasping loudly when you saw a purple mark against your flesh. How?! How could you have-- with who? 

“I--” You were speechless. This was mortifying. With...one of your employers? Oh, you could smell your walking papers being printed.

“Why don’t I go ahead and remind you how it happened.” Xigbar’s voice was right behind you now, his warm breath fanning out against your ear and neck, causing you to shiver despite the temperature spiking. 

“It-- It was you?” You spun around, coming all but nose to nose with the eyepatched man. 

“Duh, who else could leave such a precise little mark, sweetheart?” Whether it was the intoxicating scent of the cologne he wore, the pulse of your headache, or the close proximities you were in with him, it didn’t take long for his lips to gravitate towards yours, locking in a rough kiss that was sure to leave your lips bruised. Your hands were reaching up and pulling at his ponytail as his were working on shoving the cloak from your shoulders as he backed you up against your wall.

When your shoulders pressed against the wall, Xigbar immediately began pressing his body against yours, his lips following a somewhat familiar pattern down your jawline until he bit down right on the same spot from last night. You whined at the pleasant ache, your eyes squeezing tightly and your grip on his shirt becoming almost vice-like. You couldn’t see the smirk that danced on his features, but you could feel it as he whispered against your skin. “Ring any bells yet?” 

You nodded feverishly, tugging on his long silken strands of hair to pull him back up to your lips, not wanting to let him see you blush. “Calm down, kitten,” he teased, fingers sliding down your sides and inching up under your shirt. Truly? worktime practices, it wasn’t worth it at this moment. 

“Make me,” you breathed, pulling back for a moment to catch your breath. Something in his eye changed, his facial expression drawing more serious.

“You sure you wanna do this?” You nodded, pushing your hands up underneath his shirt for good measure. With his help, you were able to pull the garment from his torso and chuck it across the room. You took a deep breath as you saw his exposed midriff for the first time. There were...so many scars. What did he do to get those? “Sweetheart, my eye is up here.” Your face was flushed already as you lifted your heavy head to retain eye contact with him once more. “Atta girl.” Without a moment of hesitation he spun you around, Xigbar pushing your shirt up over your chest and pulling your bra down, exposing your chest before pressing you against the wall.

You made a noise of surprise at the sudden change of events, turning into a whimper as you felt his mouth work against the side of your neck, placing open mouthed kisses against the skin. Your hands formed fists against the wall, clenching tightly as your head tilted back, your hips backing up against his and grinding. At last, you heard a noise of pleasure seeming almost like a growl come from Xigbar’s throat, directly into your ear. This flooded your body with pleasure and you could feel a shiver run down your spine.

_ “Fuck,” _ you breathed, feeling something stiffen against the back of your skirt. As if he could read your mind, your skirt was unzipped and pushed to the floor, your panties pushed aside while Xigbar’s fingers danced along your slit. “Oh, fuck,” you cried again, biting your fist and pressing back against his hand. You had heard how awful the echo was in the hallways and you weren’t eager to test out the soundproofing in this room. 

“You’re not gonna let me hear your pretty voice, princess?” Xigbar crooned in your ear, fingers circling your clit achingly slow. Your eyes all but rolled into the back of your head, the teasing too much for you. Your head tilted back against his, making eye contact. You could see his smirk forming on his face as his digits trailed downwards until he finally plunged inside you. Two fingers curled inside of you, your knuckles turning white from the force with which you clenched your fists. 

There was no way you could hold your voice back now, much to Xigbar’s pleasure. Your knees buckled, leaning against the wall as your main support now. “You like that? I got lots of practice with these,” he curled his fingers up suddenly to stroke your g-spot for good measure.”

“You gonna keep me waiting all day?” you panted, trying to gain back some leverage. Your hand found itself rooting around behind you until it made purchase, palm sliding against something stiff. The hiss of an intake of breath coming from over your shoulder made you smirk, looking under your arm to find your path under the band of his pants, stroking him through his briefs.

“Don’t play with fire if you can’t handle the heat,  _ sweetheart, _ ” Xigbar hissed out, rolling his hips up to meet your hand.

“I’m a big girl, I can handle myself,” you teased, stilling your fingers as your breathing resumed. Xigbar mirrored you, his own digits coming to a halt before completely pulling out.

“Have it your way, princess.” With a few shifts of his clothing, a repositioning of your hips, and a vice like grip on your hair, he was finally inside you. Your eyes flew open, mouth dropping in shock. Oh, he was a decent size. Heat coursed through your body as your head was pulled back, your hips pressing back onto his length. You were silently begging him to start moving, the fire pooling in your core getting to be too much.

It was like he could read your mind- his pelvis rolling backwards before pressing further up than before. Once you rewarded him with a mewl tumbling from your bruised lips, he set a steady pace. In the rush of everything, it was easy to forget your place. That you had come here for work- not to be pressed up against the wall, moaning like a harlot at the hands of one of your employers. Which was exactly what you wanted- to forget about it. And Xigbar’s fingers sliding into your mouth to stifle your moans was a good way to achieve that.

You could taste yourself as you sucked on his fingers, your eyes closing when Xigbar released his grip on your hair, letting your head rest forward. “What a cute kitten,” he purred directly into your ear. You shivered, moaning around his fingers before he pulled them out, dragging a string of saliva connected between your lower lip and his fingertips. One hand was placed on either side of your head and you were pressed flush against the wall, feeling his chest covering your back completely. There was no room to wiggle- not that you wanted to. 

The room was filled with sounds of skin against skin and both yours and Xigbar’s noises of pleasure. “You gonna let Marluxia hear all that? He’s just right next door, you know,” he crooned, his teeth grazing the tip of your ear. You blushed like crazy, face completely red. It killed you to admit that your body flooded with pleasure, a pornographic moan escaping your lips. Xigbar’s smirk was nearly audible.”So you really  _ are _ gonna put a show on for our little gardener, huh? And it’s not even his birthday.”

“Shut up,” you groaned, completely ashamed. The chuckle from behind you was deafening. But when his hand crawled over your pelvis-his pointer and middle fingers finding their way to your clit and rubbing quick circles-you knew it was game over for you. 

“And deny him his grand finale? Let him hear it, okay?” Your orgasm didn’t bother sneaking up on you, instead crashing over you like a tsunami. Your eyes clenched shut as you cursed loudly, your entire body tensing then releasing as you came. Xigbar’s motions became more jerky and quicker, his hands both focusing themselves on your hips, gripping tight and pulling you back onto him until he finally pulled out and you felt him explode over your back- feeling strips of heat followed by a chill as air brushed over it. 

As you caught your breath, you felt the weight lift off your back, freeing you from against the wall. Your knuckles uncurled as your palms pressed flat against the wall, pressing you back up. You looked around the room ashamedly, articles of clothing thrown haphazardly around the area. Hell, you were still half dressed. Your phone lit up to alert you of a new kingstagram post, displaying the time to you once more. 6:46 am. All this...before seven in the morning. You turned around, pulling your bra back up to recover your breasts, allowing for some modesty. “I…” you began.

“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t tell if you won’t.” You nodded curtly, crossing your arms. Well, you’d certainly done that. Xigbar rebuckled his pants, walking back over to you and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Lighten up, okay? You deserve to let loose every now and then. You let out a breath you weren’t aware you were holding in, chuckling nervously.

“Yeah...that was really letting loose, though, huh?” You smiled up at him, wanting the awkward moment to end already. However, Xigbar didn’t seem to find it awkward at all.

“As if,” he snorted, scooping his shirt off the floor and flipping it right side in, pulling it over his head. “You want to really lose control some time, I promise I’ll show you how those footprints got on the ceiling.” Was he winking at you or just blinking? It was unclear. Regardless, you’d all but forgotten about the mysterious footprints that plagued the ceiling and the poor dusks that had to clean them. It was clear he was being serious. 

“Hm, I think I’ll pass for right now, maybe just take a shower instead. Here, you came for this, right?” You crouched down, grabbing the cloak from underneath you and holding it up to him as you returned to a standing position. 

“Came for the cloak, stayed for the breakfast. Good morning, princess.” XIgbar grabbed the cloak from your hands, throwing it over his shoulder. Without a further word, he turned and exited the room, the door clicking shut behind him. That. Was certainly some wake up call. Once silence returned to the room, you felt your head pulsing again, both hands flying to your temples as you hissed. This was literally your hell.

You tried to maintain some dignity as you pulled your shirt from your head but soon remembered the cum still on your back and Marluxia asleep next door. Your walk to the bathroom was one you made with your head down, the hot water and steam hopefully able to hide your shame. You had a feeling you were going to understand why they called a work task a ‘mission’ around here today. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I understand that this chapter is only half as long as the last one i posted, but, like i said, i wanted to make sure anyone who wasn't comfortable reading smut didn't feel like they were missing an integral part of the plot or any other aspects from abstaining. regardless...get that rat dick!!  
> writing smut is still fairly knew to me, my apologies if it isn't up to snuff  
> <3


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